Board approves personnel reports and ratifies two-year agreement with professional specialists

The board approved routine personnel reports for elementary and secondary staffing and unanimously ratified a two-year agreement with the district's small professional specialists unit.

Trevor Lebowski summarized vacancies and hires: the district had about seven certified positions still open (specialty roles such as psychologists and special-education placements), roughly seven paraeducator vacancies with applicants, and approximately eight custodial openings that remain difficult to fill. "We currently have about seven certified positions we need to fill," Lebowski said.

On collective bargaining, staff described the negotiated increases for the professional specialists (about 3.5 full-time equivalent in the unit). The agreement ties salary adjustments to the district's broader settlements: a $3,000 increase for 2025-26 and a $3,344 increase for 2026-27, along with a $25-per-month district contribution toward insurance, consistent with other groups' increases noted by staff.

Votes: elementary personnel report moved by Trustee Hayes, second by Trustee Witt; high school personnel report moved by Trustee Davy, second by Trustee Witt; ratification of the two-year agreement moved by Trustee Davy, second by Trustee Hayes. All motions passed unanimously.

Why it matters: staffing levels and negotiated compensation affect classroom coverage and district budgets; trustees asked for continued monitoring of hard-to-fill positions and the use of substitutes or creative assignments where necessary.

Ending: all personnel motions and the professional specialists agreement were approved as presented; staff will continue recruitment for remaining vacancies and implement the ratified compensation schedule.